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PLEASE HELP!! SO confused about pumping!!

Idk why pumping is the most confusing thing to me but it is.. My baby usually feeds off one side. I have overactive letdown so I need to be careful but I also need a stockpile as I return to work in a few weeks. He gets one bottle a day from dad and I pump both breasts at that time. It just occurred to me that might be wrong bc he only feeds from one side. Should I just pump that side??

Also, that milk is for next days bottle so when else can I pump to get a stockpile going?? In morning, both breasts after a feed? One breast after a feed? Please help , I'm struggling lol

Re: PLEASE HELP!! SO confused about pumping!!

Most people just pump both sides, even if baby usually only eats off one. It's a lot more efficient. And yes, I think most people will do a morning pump, both breasts, after a feed, to start the stockpile.

You really don't actually need a stockpile before returning to work - enough for the first day or two is enough. Anything beyond that is for your own psychological well-being. I'm not trying to downplay that - I wanted a stash too! - but you will need to pump enough at work every day to replace what he drank everyday, to keep up your longterm supply. The stash is for when you have a surprisingly low day, an emergency that prevents you from pumping as much, etc.

Re: PLEASE HELP!! SO confused about pumping!!

How much is in the bottle that dad is giving? What I have done is pump after a morning feed, without giving baby a bottle at the same time. Because then I just nurse again next time baby is hungry. Even if there is less milk in the breast because you've recently pumped, the breast is not empty; at most baby may have to nurse a little longer to be satisfied. If you feel like you do want to give a bottle, rather than giving the whole bottle, save part of the milk you pumped for the first-day supply. Even if you only save an ounce a day, in a couple weeks you'll have enough for the first day. If you separation from baby is going to be 10 hours, for example, you need between 10 and 15 oz for the first day back.

Re: PLEASE HELP!! SO confused about pumping!!

Dh feeds a 2-3 ounce bottle. I want to stockpile in case of an emergency or in the event I would like to go to dinner and have a few drinks. It's also nice in case my supply dwindles or I decide to stop Breastfeeding, bc I would have a certain amount saved to last me some time. Thanks for your answers

Re: PLEASE HELP!! SO confused about pumping!!

So a few points above that I agree with -- yes, pump from both sides even though baby only eats from one (this was the case with my son); yes, you might want to try ditching the bottle from daddy while you're pumping; and yes, beyond the milk needed for your first day or two back at work, the stockpile is mostly for your own peace of mind (whatever "insurance" you feel you want, to cover unexpected instances like spilled milk!). The only exception would be like if you know you need to travel for work pretty soon and need several days worth of milk saved up in advance, but that doesn't sound like your situation.

About a month before I went back to work, I wanted to build a little freezer stash, so this is what I did. I pumped 1x/day and it all went into the freezer. I would nurse baby in the morning before his AM nap, then put him in his swing, and he would take a nap while I pumped. So maybe there would be a 15-30 minute (?) break between nursing and pumping. Then about an hour after that, when baby was awake and hungry, I would nurse him again. He never seemed unsatisfied with that arrangement (and I suppose if it was a smaller meal than usual, he probably just ate more at his next meal 1-2 hrs later!).

FWIW doing this for 5 weeks led to bigger freezer stash than I needed. Plus once I was back at work, I always pumped more in a day than my baby would eat, so there was always a little extra going into the stash on top. Which is just to say, try not to stress about it, because you might not really need to stockpile much now anyway